Kamala Harris' already poor approval rating fell further during 2023, with one prominent political scientist telling Newsweek her unpopularity "could end up being a difference-maker" in the 2024 presidential election.
President Joe Biden has already committed to retaining Vice President Harris as his running mate should he secure the 2024 Democratic nomination, which looks likely as only fringe Democrats have stepped forward to challenge the White House incumbent.
According to analysis by polling website 538 released on December 5, Harris' net disapproval rating has surged by 7.4 percent since the beginning of the year, from 10 points to 17.4. Her approval fell from 41.7 percent to 36.3 percent from January 1 to December 5, whilst her disapproval increased from 51.7 percent to 53.7 percent.
A separate polling compilation by The Los Angeles Times published on December 12 gave Harris a net rating of -16 points, with 39 percent of registered voters having a favorable view of the vice president, whilst 55 percent viewed her unfavorably. According to this review, Harris hasn't recorded a positive net approval rating since June 2021 and is notably less popular than Mike Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney and Al Gore were after the same number of days as vice president. The analysis also found Harris has an even worse approval rating than President Biden, who scored two points better with a net rating of -14.
Harris' unpopularity is likely to be particularly significant, given widespread concern over the age of Biden, 81, who would be 86 when he leaves office should he serve a full second term. A survey conducted in August for Newsweek found 75 percent of Democratic voters were either "very concerned," "fairly concerned" or "slightly concerned" about Biden's ability to function as president given his age, versus just 22 percent who said they have no concerns. If Biden were reelected to the presidency, then forced to step down on health grounds, Harris would be his immediate successor.
Speaking to Newsweek Thomas Gift, who heads up the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, said Harris is the least popular first-term vice president since Dan Quayle, who served under George H.W. Bush.
He said: "To realize just how unpopular Kamala Harris is, you have to keep in mind the historical significance of it all. No one in her position has had this low of favorabilities in a first term since Dan Quayle. That's saying something. So it's no surprise, especially with Biden's age, that Republicans keep hammering home a simple point: a vote for Biden is a vote for Harris.
"While it's usually the top of the ticket that drives voting, and that will be true again in 2024, Harris' abysmal popularity will matter on the margins. And with next year's election poised to be close, those margins could end up being a difference-maker."
However Thomas Whalen, associate professor who teaches U.S. politics at Boston University, argued it is too early to write Harris off at this point, despite her current ratings.
Addressing Newsweek, he said: "To paraphrase Mark Twain, I think reports of Kamala Harris's political death are greatly exaggerated. Modern vice-presidents are always considered unpopular, especially during the first term of an administration. Unconvinced? See the career of George H.W. Bush. He was roundly dismissed as a 'wimp' and lightweight during the [President Ronald] Reagan era, yet he ended up winning the presidency in his own right quite handily in 1988.
"It's baked into the VP job description. They are traditionally flack catchers for their bosses. So it's not surprising Harris is not polling well now."
Newsweek has contacted Harris for comment via email to the White House press office.
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About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is on covering news and politics ... Read more